Like many Canadians this February, you’ve probably watched a fair share of the Olympic Games. But what you may not have realized is there’s a Kingston-area connection to the coverage provided by NBC.
By day, Marco Smits is the communications officer for Frontenac County, but every two years he makes the trip to the Olympics — this time helping out NBC as a speed skating researcher.
“I’ll be sitting right beside the commentators in the commentary position — basically at ice level in the speed skating oval,” Smits said in a video sent to CKWS TV from PyeongChang. “I will feed them little details on the broadcast.”
Smits worked many years as a freelance sports reporter, writing about North American sports for European media outlets.
Back then, he was able to cover multiple Stanley Cup finals, even a trip to the NBA finals. More recently, he’s parlayed that experience into a recurring gig at the Olympics.
“This is my fifth Olympics, and my second with NBC,” Smits said. “I’m absolutely loving it.”
Loving it, even if he’s not always able to venture away from the speed skating oval. But Smits said he’s been able to take in other sports such as men’s hockey, curling and figure skating.
“My schedule is such that most of the time I’ll be working,” Smits said. “But if I’m lucky, there will be a couple of times where I get to see some action.”